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****, ya'll had fun! I was in the backyard, 200Yds behind Sharkey's Bar and Pool Hall which generated a low bass thump until 2:00 am. Then we're located 1/2 mi from the county ambulance barn, can't remember have many calls they had. At 4:00 am the garbage trucks were dumping all of the dumpsters in the area. I also fought a full size adult sleeping bag. Finally gave up at daylight. The first night in the woods was fantastic, 32 degrees.

Most of us end up poorer here but richer for being here. Olddog, Fulltime hammocker, 365 nights a year.

. . . It was back in '84 while pullin' a MC trip to Haida Gwaii from Edmontown,
I was 2/3's the way and it was gettin' on to dark,
so I pulled into a roadside pull-out and thought
no place to set up a tent, least ways, as far as I could tell.

So by the light of my MC headlamp,
I used the Fly from my pup tent, and holding it gathered,
tied a sheet bend knot and a few others at each end,
and hung it between a couple of small trees,
laid in my bag, and proceeded to sit in it and remove my boots.

I swear (really I don't - any more) some one should have been filming the event.
As I went to reach for my foot the fly hammock swung away,
and so it went, I was a Laurel and Hardy act all in one person.

I ended up gettin' my boots off and one at a time broke of a sapling within reach,
2 feet off the ground so as I could hang my boots on top, upside down as it was already raining some.

No fly for the fly, it was just an open sleep,
thankfully it only lightly sprinkled a rain for 1/2 the night.

I used that fly hammock in my steel fab shop (when I had it)
when it got late at night and driving home an hour and then returning in the morn,
would mean that I would only get 4 hrs sleep.
the fly hammock gave me 6 hrs, sweet.

That fly over the years has evaporated
and now I await the arrival my first real hammock
a Clark NX-150
I think I will call it the "Clark Hilton"
It should be here in a week or so,
or so . . . would be better if "so" was sooner.

The very first time I set it up was in my yard. But I think the more entertaining time was my very first backpacking trip with my hammock just this passed June. Finally, after buying the hammock for the holiday sale from HH I was released and able to use it outdoors, outside the confines of my yard.

It was excellent. I stealthed camped in the Pine Barrens. I found a perfect spot right along the river and during the night as I settled in I can hear frogs all around me, and under me. I was enjoying every moment of it. Time to time I would hear the occasional "Plop" from a frog leaping in to the water. There was a gentle breeze too which rocked me to sleep. Was great! A friend of mine who came along used just a ground sheet and did not have a great night sleep, or sleep at all really...constantly being bombarded by mosquitoes and ticks. The morning came and he asked, "man where did you get that hammock, I gotta get me one! I kept looking over there and you were sound asleep and I was battling the bugs." Something to that affect. I said "yeaaa that thing is the best purchase I have made in a while!"

My first time was in my front yard back in June of ought-nine. It was a Skeeter Beater Pro (SBPro) and I spent the night chasing my pad all around the hammock. After that, I bought a JRB Shenandoah quilt and used it under me. I didn't much care for the limitations of the SBPro but, it worked well enough for me to tell that hammocks are better than sleeping on the ground. I asked for a Warbonnet Blackbird for father's day. I tested it in the back yard a few times, to get it just right, and took it to Jack Lake in the Boundary Waters that July. I've been happy as a clam with it ever since.

Had trouble getting to sleep, and was kept up by the noise of a bush rubbing against the bottom of my hammock by the wind.

Temps got down to 36 deg that night, with some steady light winds.

Sons in the tents froze their butts off...youngest and I slept comfy warm since we were concerned about CBS and made darned sure we had sufficient insulation.

I didn't even know how good it was until after I'd got up the next morning and had been moving for an hour before I realized that I was able to walk from the moment I got out of the hammock...something I've not been able to do tent camping for years.

My first hammock camping experience was during the Summer of 1993 on the Chatooga Trail. Back then I didn't know any better; I wished for a tent. I started that Summer with a $10.00 single-person net hammock with spreader bars. My tarp was clear 5mil poly. I had no insulation other than the clothes on my back.

first night was...

...in the backyard---horrible night. couldn't get comfortable for the life of me. regretted even trying but it but kept with it. second night a bit better but not by much. finally went with my instinct and tightened up the SB hang. heaven!!! sometimes i'll wake up in the middle of the night with a very surreal floating sensation---in my sleepy daze i wonder if i'm still alive because i feel no pain